R
Rutherford2
Guest
Say this person had abused you in an office. One day you reported him to the police and he was arrested. You forgive him but let the police put him in jail. Is this real forgiveness?
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Does allowing the law to punish your abuser eventhough you had forgave them considered as true forgiveness?
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
M
Mrchatsworth
Guest
Forgiveness without justice is not holy.
P
PetraG
Guest
Based on the example of Pope St. John Paul II towards Mehmet Ali Ağca, the man who shot him, it is certainly real forgiveness to allow someone face the demands of a human justice system when they commit a crime against you:
By the way, the Pope did not ever put his assassin in a position of trust, but his forgiveness did have a profound effect on him:
“It was destiny. And it was destiny he survived. I am very glad he didn’t die…"
“The Pope became like a brother to me. When he died [in 2005] I felt like my brother or my best friend had died.”
“I think of how I shot the Pope on most days… not every day now but most days.
“I’m a good man now. I try to live my life properly. When I shot him I was 23. I was young and I was ignorant.
“I remember how rational I felt. I fired the gun and then it jammed.”
But the Pope forgave him and after his recovery, visited him in prison.
“There are some things I cannot talk about. In that 22-minute private meeting with the Pope when he visited me in jail there are some things I have never discussed what he told me. It was very special.”
In 2000 Agca was pardoned at the Pope’s request and extradited to Turkey where he spent another 10 years in jail after he was convicted of murdering Mr Ipekci and raiding two banks.
By the way, the Pope did not ever put his assassin in a position of trust, but his forgiveness did have a profound effect on him:
“It was destiny. And it was destiny he survived. I am very glad he didn’t die…"
“The Pope became like a brother to me. When he died [in 2005] I felt like my brother or my best friend had died.”
“I think of how I shot the Pope on most days… not every day now but most days.
“I’m a good man now. I try to live my life properly. When I shot him I was 23. I was young and I was ignorant.
“I remember how rational I felt. I fired the gun and then it jammed.”
But the Pope forgave him and after his recovery, visited him in prison.
“There are some things I cannot talk about. In that 22-minute private meeting with the Pope when he visited me in jail there are some things I have never discussed what he told me. It was very special.”
In 2000 Agca was pardoned at the Pope’s request and extradited to Turkey where he spent another 10 years in jail after he was convicted of murdering Mr Ipekci and raiding two banks.
V
VonDerTann
Guest
True forgiveness does NOT mean that the perpetrator must go free, and anyone trying to tell you otherwise is absolutely wrong.
You may forgive the perpetrator (and should try to do so), but the perpetrator still owes a debt to society for having committed the crime. That debt is owed to everyone even tangentially or remotely involved: The police who investigate and the prosecutors who prosecute (who may become jaded); your friends and loved ones (who see you suffer; worry about you, and who are “deprived of a complete ‘you’”); the perpetrator’s family and friends (who likely suffer shame; guilt, etc.); even people who live or work nearby (who see their neighborhood becoming a place where a crime has been committed). That debt must be paid whether you forgive the perpetrator or not.
If a court says jail is appropriate, your forgiveness - while wonderful - should not impact the court sentencing the person to jail, nor should you be troubled if jail is nonetheless imposed.
You may forgive the perpetrator (and should try to do so), but the perpetrator still owes a debt to society for having committed the crime. That debt is owed to everyone even tangentially or remotely involved: The police who investigate and the prosecutors who prosecute (who may become jaded); your friends and loved ones (who see you suffer; worry about you, and who are “deprived of a complete ‘you’”); the perpetrator’s family and friends (who likely suffer shame; guilt, etc.); even people who live or work nearby (who see their neighborhood becoming a place where a crime has been committed). That debt must be paid whether you forgive the perpetrator or not.
If a court says jail is appropriate, your forgiveness - while wonderful - should not impact the court sentencing the person to jail, nor should you be troubled if jail is nonetheless imposed.
Last edited:
0
0Scarlett_nidiyilii
Guest
Yes, because you’re protecting other people.
And you’re allowed to protect yourself, which this would also do.
And you’re allowed to protect yourself, which this would also do.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.